Mayor, Office of the / Housing

[Record group 60-16]

Agency Function

Unavailable

Agency History

The framers of the City Charter chose not to create a separate department within the city government charged with the responsibility of creating housing for low-income residents of the city. Programs dealing with housing concerns emanated chiefly from the Philadelphia Housing Authority and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority. In neither case did the Mayor have any direct input or control over the thrust of the programs underway or planned. To correct the omission of a Housing Department in the City Charter, a series of efforts has been made by several mayors to address the city's changing housing needs. The offices of Housing Coordinator, Development Coordinator, Deputy Managing Director for Housing, and Housing & Community Development are all stages in the Mayor's desire to create a semi-permanent agency to set and implement a unified housing policy for Philadelphia.